You Won’t Believe This Advice For High School Graduates

It’s that time of year, kids all across the country are preparing for graduation. Maybe they’ve already picked their colleges, trades, jobs. Maybe they’ve even selected a future career path, a goal.

Mike Rowe, of the TV show Dirty Jobs, gave a speech to graduates. The speech encourages graduates to NOT follow their dreams, to choose a trade that will provide a steady and dependable living, to learn a skill and be passionate about what they’re doing.

As you can imagine, the speech surprised some and outraged others. Many parents encourage their children to go to college; however, Rowe’s speech argues that college straps students with debt and puts them into a competitive job market with often lower starting wages that many skilled jobs.

Rowe’s speech was so controversial that it was banned from YouTube.

As we enter the upcoming graduation season, it’s a good time to share Rowe’s speech. Perhaps he’s right, college isn’t for everyone. Sometimes learning a trade can provide a better quality of life.

What do you think? Would you encourage your children/grandchildren to attend college over learning a trade?